Man of Steel: These Superpowers Are Real (Kind Of)

It may be impossible to duplicate Superman's superpowers exactly, but we mere mortals do have some technological options on the horizon.

Since his debut in Action Comics #1 in 1938, Superman has dazzled audiences with his mixture of morality, action-packed adventure, and enviable superpowers. He quickly skipped from comic books to newspaper comic strips, then a radio show, the big screen (in animated shorts, serials, and eventually motion pictures), the small screen (with five live-action series from Adventures of Superman right up to Smallville, not to mention The Animated Series and Super Friends), appearances in almost 30 video games (including 2013's hit Injustice: Gods Among Us), theme park rides, a Broadway play, and millions of Underoos.

Every generation has its own Superman, and this week he returns to the big screen in Man of Steel. The version you'll see in theaters, inspired by Christopher Nolan's Batman movies, is unlike any other Superman you've seen before. "Our approach was not a comic book Superman," said screenwriter David S. Goyer in a behind-the-scenes trailer. "It was just to do a more realistic Superman—a Superman that exists in a real world."

But how realistic can you be when your protagonist has so many superpowers? Well aside from abilities like super-ventriloquism, making the Earth spin backwards to reverse time, and 'super-cellophane' (no one could manage that), it turns out that these days some of his powers aren't so unrealistic after all. Here we look at the basics—flight, strength, and x-ray vision—and unearth an achievable technological equivalent. It turns out there are plenty. Most of the technologies are costly and still under development, putting them in the Batman/Iron Man realm of needing cash up front and a hint of genius to become truly super. But as with all technology, prices tend to diminish over time. Someday soon the powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men could be yours. (Probably not, but we're trying to stay positive.)

So take a gander at these real-world superpowers and see how you could (but probably won't) be like Superman.